


Logic Can't Help Us Now

by PersonifiedKat



Series: Experiments and Throat Punches [4]
Category: The Last Kids on Earth (Cartoon)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Boys finally starting to understand their emotions, Fluff, I don't remember if there's any swearing in this one..., Light Angst, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Protective Quint, Stressed Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:21:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26554276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PersonifiedKat/pseuds/PersonifiedKat
Summary: “That was… weird.” June admitted, reaching up to tug at her pony tail. Dirk just hummed noncommittally, gaze still firmly locked on Quint’s door.Even after all the time they’d spent together since the apocalypse began, a truly angry Quint was a rare sight. A nervous or frustrated Quint, sure, but to see him blow up like that without any obvious cause was a ‘once in a blue-moon’ kind of deal.“Yeah…” Jack agreed, sighing deeply, “He’s probably just stressed.”In which things are coming to a head for the last kids on earth, and Quint may or may not be handling it well.Actually, scratch that. He is most definitely not handling it well.
Relationships: Quint Baker/Dirk Savage
Series: Experiments and Throat Punches [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1923973
Kudos: 59





	Logic Can't Help Us Now

**Author's Note:**

> Hello once again. I didn't lie in my last note that I would not be uploading every day. I mean, it's been two days already. Crazy stuff.  
> Anywho.  
> I honestly finished this story two days ago, but I hmmed and hawwed on posting it.   
> You can see what I decided in the end.   
> I actually wrote this one from a prompt that was literally just "I can't think straight with you". I really liked it since that concept would be a serious dilemma when applied to Quint's character, who clearly relies heavily on his ability to analyse information and reason things out.   
> I still don't know if I love the end product... but whatcha' gonna do. Every failure is a lesson, right?  
> Right?  
> Anyway, in this one the characters are aged up to about 15 years. Still not full on slash yet, but we're inching closer with every story.   
> BTW, these stories aren't really meant to be consecutive or even related, so if there is eventually one that directly contradicts a previous one, do not be alarmed.  
> I write one-shots because I'm bad with plots.   
> Wow... this was rambly... oops  
> As always, if you don't like this pairing or m/m in general, feel free to move along.  
> Otherwise, enjoy!

“How can you even suggest such a plan?!” Quint finally burst out after minutes of seething in silence.

At once, the others’ gazes snapped towards him, various expressions of surprise on each of their faces. After several uncertain glances had been exchanged, Jack was the first to speak.

“Quint, buddy, it’s not a big dea-“

“Do not go there Jack!” Quint cut him off sharply, “This is beyond risky. This is downright scatterbrained!” He pushed away from the table that had, overtime, become the centre of planning in the tree house. He turned and stormed off toward his room, only to be stopped by a stiff grip around his wrist.

“Quint, common man!” Jack pulled at Quint’s wrist, trying to deter him from leaving. Quint staunchly refused, instead choosing to fight against Jack’s hold. June intervened with a hand on Jack’s shoulder.

“Jack, let him go. He needs to cool off.” She whispered. After another moment of inner conflict, Jack relented and Quint continued on his war path, slamming the door behind him. The others were left to share uncertain glances once again.

“That was… weird.” June admitted, reaching up to tug at her pony tail. Dirk just hummed noncommittally, gaze still firmly locked on Quint’s door. Even after all the time they’d spent together since the apocalypse began, a truly angry Quint was a rare sight. A nervous or frustrated Quint, sure, but to see him blow up like that without any obvious cause was a ‘once in a blue-moon’ kind of deal.

“Yeah…” Jack agreed, sighing deeply, “He’s probably just stressed.”

Which, fair enough. They were all pretty stressed. It had already been more than two years since the apocalypse began, and they were just as clueless as to how to deal with it as they had been on day one. Not to mention, they were running out of materials in Wakefield. They were rapidly nearing the point where they’d be forced to move elsewhere, but they knew next to nothing about the world outside of Wakefield’s boarders. The best they had to work with were rumors spreading amongst their monster allies, who sometimes ventured out into the world in search of… whatever monsters cared about. There had been murmurs about encounters with humans in neighbouring cities. If they were true, then perhaps there was hope for the four last kids on earth. But they needed to know for sure before they left everything they knew behind.

Hence the mission for City Hall. Where all the modern radio and television towers had ceased working ages ago, there was reason to believe some of the older methods might not have been destroyed yet. Wakefield had always kept and maintained a working radio wave broadcaster from the 1930’s on display in City Hall. At the time, it had seemed somewhat paranoid. Now, not so much. If they could get to it, they could send out some feeler messages. Maybe even find other survivors.

It was more than a long shot, but… they had to do something. And soon.

Jack ran a hand through his hair.

“I guess I’ll give him a minute, then go talk to him. We need to put this plan into action.”

“I dunno dude. He wasn’t super receptive to you just a minute ago.” Dirk shrugged, running a hand through his hair, “Maybe I should try and talk to him.”

Jack looked at him like his brain had just dribbled out his ears.

“And what exactly makes you think _that_ will go any better.”

“I dunno… just a feeling I guess.” Dirk shrugged again, this time crossing his arms and returning his gaze to the door in front of him.

Jack made to argue further, before once again being stopped by June’s hand on his shoulder. He couldn’t perfectly translate the look she was giving him, but it seemed to be along the lines of, _It’s not worth another fight, Jack. Let him give it a try_. So with a sigh, he relented one more time.

“Fine. You think he’ll listen to you? Be my guest.” Throwing one last glare at Dirk, he turned toward the balcony, “I’m going to go scout the area again, get as much information as possible before we finalise our mode of attack.” With that, he called to Rover and left the tree house.

June looked back at Dirk, throwing him a thumbs up that would’ve been more encouraging if she wasn’t tripping over herself to keep up with Jack as he left.

Dirk rolled his eyes at their self-proclaimed leader before turning back towards the problem at hand.

~.◊.~

Quint frowned heavily as he stared out his window, fuming silently to himself. _How could they be so… so… obtuse? It really should not be so difficult to see the numerous flaws in their plan._

He was startled out of his thoughts by the sharp creaking of his door as it opened. With renewed anger, Quint turned, his mouth already moving.

“I thought it was clear that I wanted to be left alone, Jack-!” Quint stopped only as his vision caught up with his brain. Before him stood Dirk, an expression of concern on his face and hands held up in the universal motion of ‘please don’t attack me, I’m innocent.’ Quint stood back in surprise, then embarrassment, “Oh, apologies. I assumed you were Jack.” With that he turned back toward his window, neck and ears alight.

Dirk relaxed slightly. Drying sweaty palms on his shorts, he made to stand by Quint at the window.

“Nah, I convinced Jack to leave you be. He and June went off to scout around City Hall again.” Quint frowned at this.

“Of course they did. Probably in an effort to come up with more ridiculous, reckless, irresponsible-“

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, man.” Dirk broke in, reaching for Quint’s far shoulder in an effort to turn him towards himself, “What is up with you today? I mean, I get it, it’s not a perfect plan but it’s the best one we’ve got under the circumstances.” Quint’s eyes narrowed.

“They want to use you as bait!” Quint spat out the word as if it burned his tongue, shrugging out of Dirk’s grip.

Dirk pulled back in surprise.

“Is that your issue? What the heck, man?” Dirk scoffed, throwing his hands up, “We’ve done that kind of thing tons of times!”

“Maybe so, but in those cases we always knew what we were up against!” Quint retaliated, drawing forth his self-made bestiary and displaying a nearly blank page, “We know next to nothing about the monster inhabiting City Hall! We do not even know what it looks like! Only that it is incredibly fast and can manipulate shadows. For all we know it’s the most dangerous one we have ever encountered.” He slammed the book closed before tossing it haphazardly onto the desk in the corner of the room. Dirk couldn’t help cringing at the rough treatment. It was incredibly unlike the smaller boy to be so flippant with his research. 

He wasn’t wrong either. All of their encounters with the monster to date had been brief but terrifying, leaving them with very little information and a lot of nightmares.

“Dude, I hear you. But that’s exactly why this is the best plan we’ve got,” Dirk said, gentling his voice, “If I can draw it out of its hiding place, you, Jack and June can all be ready to attack him when he least expects it.” When Quint didn’t immediately interject, Dirk decided to try for levity, “Not to mention I’m the toughest one of us. If things get weird, I make the best punching bag.”

“You are more than a punching bag!” Quint snapped, whipping around. While the exclamation itself was alarming enough, it was Quint’s expression that hit Dirk like a punch to the gut. What started out a vicious glare was quickly morphing into a look of abject fear. Tears were building in the corners of his eyes as he hunched in on himself, turning once again to hide his emotions from the larger boy.

After several seconds spent being too stunned to act, Dirk finally reverted to instinct. He approached Quint slowly, gently turning him back around and pulling him inwards. Quint went easily, latching onto Dirk immediately, as if all he’d been waiting for was permission. When Dirk’s brain finally caught up with the situation, he was still very confused.

“Okay, I think I’m missing something here.” Dirk chuckled lightly, rubbing gently at Quint’s trembling shoulders. He felt so small in his arms, “What’s going on in that big ol’ head of yours?”

“I do not know,” Quint shuddered, shaking his head against Dirk’s chest, “I feel angry and scared and… Frustrated. I can hardly think straight.” The shorter boy’s grip tightened in Dirks shirt, “I simply cannot accept the risk this plan will put you in… I just… It is impossible.” Dirk swallowed, trying to absorb this information.

“But, you’re a logic guy right. You gotta see this is the best we can do.” Dirk tried again.

“Logic means nothing when it comes to you.” Quint whispered, barely loud enough to hear. Dirk was floored, his grip on his friend tightening. They stood there in silence for what felt like hours as Dirk absorbed what Quint had said.

Dirk’s feelings for Quint had always been complicated. Even before the apocalypse, the smaller boy had garnered a great deal of Dirk’s attention. Back then, Dirk had been frustrated by this, taking it out on Quint through his bullying behaviour. Once they met again through Jack, after the world as they knew it had ended, Dirk was ready to confront his feelings from a different angle, choosing instead to get to know the boy. While this had been rewarding in many ways, it had also encouraged stronger, more confusing feelings.

Standing there, with Quint cowering in his arms, Dirk was starting to think he might know what those feelings were after all.

(If he was honest with himself, he’d probably always known)

All that considered… this probably wasn’t the best time for… whatever might be building between them. They had an issue they needed to solve, and, as harsh as it may seem (even to Dirk, who was harsh by nature) feelings had no place in the development of a solid plan. With this in mind Dirk exhaled deeply, loosening his grip on Quint and pulling back enough to look the smaller boy in the eyes.

“I know how you feel. If they had suggested you as the bait, I would have been just as upset.” Dirk admitted, clearing his throat and looking away as Quint’s eyes widened. “But we’re not idiots Quint. We all know I’m the best option in this situation, and we _need_ to get into City Hall. We can’t risk everything else just to avoid one of us being put in a little danger.” Dirk looked back at Quint and tried to put on his best cocky smirk, “Besides, I’m stronger than I look, and I look pretty fuckin’ built.”

At that Quint laughed, pulling a hand away from Dirk’s tear stained shirt to rub at his eyes.

“What a strange scenario this has become. Who could ever have guessed that one day _you_ would be the one to lecture _me_ about strategy?” Dirk snickered, pleased to see the smaller boy smile.

“Don’t get used to it little dude. This brain is best kept for cooking and gardening and literally nothing else.” At this Quint pulled out his own smirk.

“So you say, though I am finding it more and more difficult to believe that those are your only affinities.” Dirk laughed again.

“Hey, I don’t even know what ‘affinities’ means. That oughta’ prove my point all on its own.” Dirk smiled as yet another giggle was drawn out of Quint. Slinging one arm around his shorter friend, he continued. “Now common, we might as well get something to eat so that when Jack and June get back we can clean up our plan and get to work.”

Quint went along, a little more subdued at the reminder, “Very well. I will concede to the plan if they bring back no new information that might change the best course of action.” Then he stopped, turning under Dirks arm. In the blink of an eye, the boy had reached up, gripped Dirk by the jaw and pulled him down to eye-level. As Dirk’s mouth fell open in shock, Quint barreled onward, “However, I will make myself clear. If anything happens to you, there is no monster or plan on earth that can keep me from coming for you.” And with that Quint headed off to continue on their path towards sustenance.

It took several minutes before Dirk could get his shit together enough to follow after Quint.

It took several weeks before Dirk could get the feeling of Quint’s hands on his face out of his head.

However, Dirk would never be able to forget the disappointment he had felt as Quint walked away without kissing him.


End file.
